In the Blink of an Eye
by slappywhite
Summary: Life can drastically change in the blink of an eye, even for Hodges and for those directly involved with him. How will they cope with the sudden changes in their lives? wedges related!


**DISCLAIMER**** : I wish I did, but obviously I don't own CSI nor do I own any of the characters. Although, I'd snatch up a certain actor in a heartbeat, if I could. But for now, I give you this.**

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"You know David. You're going to have to deal with these issues sooner or later." Doctor Adam Flynn, a tall slender man with sandy blonde hair, nearing the age of 50, commented as he adjusted himself in the hospital chair, and peered over his glasses at the man lying in the hospital bed.

"The only issue I have at the moment is you being here annoying the hell out of me!" David growled back, giving the doctor a stern look.

"I can understand that you are in pain and the trauma..."

"Tell me Doc," David snapped, interrupting the other man. "Have you ever crushed vertebrae, broken ribs, dislocated an elbow, and sport nasty cuts and gashes all over your body that no matter which way you turn in the bed, you cannot get comfortable because you're in excessive pain? How about the fact that you're bed ridden to the point you have to learn to walk all over again and can't even go to the washroom without being helped? Have you ever been thrown from a vehicle while it just so happens to be flipping down over a 50-foot embankment? Do you wake up in the middle of the night in cold sweats with severe anxiety attacks?"

Doctor Flynn couldn't help but stare at the frustrated man lying in the bed, taken back by the abrupt response. "Well, um.. No, but I.."

"But nothing! You can't possibly understand how I am feeling. I was inches near death that night. That feeling in itself would scare the shit out of anyone!"

The Doctor listened closely as David had his little rant, occasionally jotting a few things down in a book he had with him. That was, until the emotional trace tech spotted him.

David grabbed the closest object to him, and threw it at the other man, nearly hitting him. "I _**don't**_ need a shrink!" He growled at the doctor. "I just want to get out of here and back to living a normal life. I want to be able to walk again, to eat normal food, get back to work. I want to be able to have sex with my girlfriend again." The tone in his voice suddenly changed, exposing the frightened man behind the tough exterior.

Doctor Flynn took it all in stride, knowing it was the morphine injections David had been receiving through his IV that was controlling the shifts in his mood. The point was, he had David talking. That he finally wasn't keeping it all to himself. David Hodges was an emotional wreck and suffering from severe post traumatic stress from the car accident he had been in, three weeks' prior, that nearly claimed his life.

It was the first time since he'd been in to see David that the injured man talked to him, and he couldn't stop now. He had actually managed to penetrate through David's defensive core, and wasn't about to walk away from it. "So tell me about your girlfriend."

David claimed his breathing, closed his eyes and smiled. "Wendy! She's an amazing and intelligent woman. Beautiful brown eyes you could get lost in, how the tips of her hair caresses her cheeks and neck.." He trailed off in thoughts about the young DNA tech that worked just across the hall from him. How she would gracefully move about in her lab as she worked, like an..

"So how long have you two been seeing each other?" The man questioned, obviously interrupting David's thoughts, as he looked on, trying to keep the trace tech talking.

"What the hell does that matter to my current situation? It's not going to help me, nor you, by asking personal questions you have no business asking in the first place!" David turned toward the man in the chair with furrowed brows. If looks could kill at that moment, Doctor Flynn would have been a dead man.

"David, I am only trying to find a common ground that we both can communicate on, and as much as you may think I am prying, I am not. You have to believe me when I say this. You need to talk about your ordeal as much as it pains you, but I also need to know what your comfort zones are. Something we can retreat to, should you need it."

"This is bull shit!" The injured man piped up, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, wishing the other man would just go away.

"Bull shit or not, if we don't do this, I won't be able to sign you off, as recovered, meaning you won't be able to return to work." The Doctor simply explained.

David laid in silence for several minutes. "Two weeks!"

"Excuse me?"

Letting out a rather annoying sigh, David opened his eyes once again and looked over at the Doctor. "We've been seeing each other for two weeks!"

Flynn made a note, then questioned. "How long do you think, you've been in the hospital?"

David made a face, trying to think. "I dunno." He shrugged slightly. "A few days?"

The Doctor made several more notes, then frowned, shaking his head. "David, you've been here for three weeks."

The trace tech looked at the other man in disbelief. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words sat heavy on the back of his tongue, resulting in nothing being said. How could he not remember the first two weeks of his hospital stay?

As if the Flynn could read his mind, he spoke up. "Between your sleeping medication and morphine injections, most of this hospital visit for you was a blur. But now that the injections have lessened over the past couple of days, you've been much more coherent and alert."

"Lucky me!" David replied sarcastically.

"Well actually, you're_** very **_fortunate! Do you know what the percentage rate of survivors that get ejected from a vehicle, actually is?"

"No! But I am sure you're going to tell me." David groaned, rolling his eyes.

"One percent! So yes, you are very lucky!" Flynn pointed out, matter-of-fact.

David let it register in his head for a moment before moving on. "So what happened with that crazy ass cab driver that put me in this position anyway?"

The Doctor reached up and pulled the glasses from his face and rubbed his eyes. "He was pronounced dead on the scene!"

The Lab Tech lifted his head slightly from the pillow to look at the shrink, contemplating his next words. "Great! So it's my word against the dead guys."

There was a quiet knock on the closed hospital room door. Doctor Flynn stood to answer it, only to find the young woman David began to describe to him, standing on the other side. The Doctor smiled asking if she could give them just a couple more minutes. She nodded, suggesting she'd go grab a coffee from the cafeteria to allow him enough time to finish up.

Doctor Flynn then closed the door again and turned with a smile on his face. "You're right! She is a beautiful woman." Returning to his chair, he noticed a groggy but aggravated look cross David's face as he looked from the Doctor to the door. "She went to grab a quick coffee in the cafeteris, allowing me to finish up our little session. I think some progress was made, but we have a long way to go. That is, if you're not willing to cooperate."

"You have a good team working your case David." Doctor Flynn pointed out, referring to the graveyard shift the lab tech worked with. "From what I've heard, they are pretty close to closing the case, they're just waiting for an official statement from you and this evaluation."

"I can hardly wait!" David snarled wondering who the lucky bastard was that won the pleasure of coming in to talk to him.

"So lets move on, shall we?" Flynn asked, curious to see if he'd be getting anything more from the injured man or if that was it. He knew that if he didn't push the issue, David wasn't going to willingly talk about it. "Tell me about that night."

The trace tech winced with pain as his whole body ached, and talking about it wasn't helping him any. He let out an aggravated groan as he tried to get comfortable. "Really Doc, is there a need at this moment?" His eyelids began to feel heavy as he felt the recent shot of morphine, which entered his body, begin to kick in.

"Well.." Doctor Flynn began, noticing David becoming groggy.

David just looked at the man for a moment, but said nothing as he closed his eyes.

The Doctor stood, closing up his notebook. "It was good to finally talk with you David. I'll stop by again tomorrow to see how you are doing and to talk some more."

The hospitalized man grumbled something unintelligible which Doctor Flynn interpreted it to be _'As long as I'm stuck here, I won't be doing any better!'_

He stepped out of the room, closing the door partly behind him, and took a deep breath. This was going to be more of a difficult task and he knew it just by the demeanor of the man in the room. He could tell that David wasn't a man that trusted easily and that he could be very self withdrawn. How he was going to get the man to trust him enough to talk with him.

It all came clear to him when the elevator doors opened and out stepped the same young brunette that knocked on the door not long ago. "Wendy?"

The young DNA tech stopped and turned her head to look at the Doctor, wondering how the stranger knew her by name. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Doctor Adam Flynn, a psychiatrist with the Las Vegas Police Department. I was the one that answered the door to David Hodges room just a few minutes ago." He quickly explained.

Now recognizing him, Wendy smiled. "Yes! What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you could spare a couple of minutes of your time before going in to see David?" He motioned toward the couple of lounge chairs near a window.

"Ah.. Sure!" She walked past him, setting the couple of packages she was carrying, down on the small table, then proceeded around to sit with the older man not far behind.

Doctor Flynn sat down next to Wendy and smiled. "He's a difficult man!"

Wendy couldn't help but smile. "It wouldn't be Hodges if he wasn't." She already felt her eyes moisten, as she blinked away the threatening tears.

Flynn studied the young lady sitting next to him briefly before continuing. "I can see that this ordeal is having a great effect on you, personally as well." He commented, observing the struggle she was having, trying to fight her emotions back.

She forced a smile trying to hide the tears once again. "I can't let him see me any other way but strong or else he'll become more depressed. I mean, it's obvious that the more optimistic I am, the more he will be, right? Being positive is half the battle for a quicker recovery. He has no family here in Vegas for support, and I don't even know where to being to look to make contact with them."

"He was right. You are a very intelligent woman." Doctor Flynn commented aloud before realizing he'd said it loud enough for Wendy to hear.

Wendy's smile now seemed less forced as she looked at the man. "Is there anything else you'd like to discuss? I'd really like to get in to see him now."

"Actually, I have two quick things I'd like to discuss.." Flynn piped up, standing as the young lady stood. "I was wondering if you could help me with something!"

Confused, Wendy looked at the Doctor, wondering what it was she could possibly help him with. "That really depends on what sort of help you are looking for."

"I was wondering if you could help convince him that it would be in his best interest to talk to me. He seems like the type of man who doesn't trust nor opens up easily to strangers, but the sooner he can, the quicker the recovery and the sooner he can start getting back to living a normal lifestyle again."

Wendy molded Flynn's words over for a moment before responding. "I'll see what I can do, but I can't make any promises. He can be very headstrong sometimes!"

"I completely understand, but the sooner he talks, the less he'll suppress."

The young lady nodded. "Was there anything else?"

"Actually there was one more thing." The Doctor commented, before letting Wendy go. "Seeing you are directly involved in this whole incident as well, if you ever wish to talk, here is my card." Flynn handed Wendy his business card. "It'll be covered through the department!" He smiled and nodded, ending the conversation between to two, allowing her to continue on toward her destination.


End file.
